The start was incredibly DC in every way. A convoluted plot, excessive usage of DC tropes, and too much exposition at the expense of character development are all evident. The movie did come together at the end, but by that point the editing had made it just passable. However, other than a few sections in the middle and towards the conclusion that were a little sluggish and had a rough scene transition.
Production value did play a key role. Unfortunately, much of the film felt like leftover footage from previous comic book movie attempts due to poor cinematography and post-production decisions such as sepia overlays, far too much slow motion, artistic blood spray, and so on. I believe we've moved on from this. Some effects were also not as fluid as they should have been. Some shots of Dr. Fate resemble Bruce Banner's floating head in Hulkbuster armor.
I wouldn't recommend this to a casual viewer. Comic book fans may see potential in how a DCEU might look with this type of power emerging. Action fans who enjoy pseudo-political junk food movies should enjoy it. The attempted commentary about Americans only sending armed forces to ruined countries once they develop WMDs, which was replicated from the comics but with the sharp edges sanded down for the movie script, was particularly amusing. If you're a fan of the DCEU, I'd say it's almost mandatory.
My main takeaway from this film is that I now want a Dr. Fate film even more than I did before. Pierce Brosnan carried the film on his back, and I'd like to see more of him as Kent Nelson. Pierce Brosnan was fantastic as Dr. Fate. He was by far the most enjoyable aspect of the film. That being said, did they ever explain why Adriana was searching for the crown at the start of the film? I didn't understand why Black Adam would stick around with her and the kid for so long, and that kid got too annoying for me.
I initially thought the child was fine, but he should have faded into the background rather than being kidnapped. Apart from that, it's the son of a minor character, and we're still puzzled as to why she was looking for Black Adam in the first place. These elements contributed to the film's quirkiness and cheesiness. Rather than the ransom plan, I would have preferred the bad guy to get the crown sooner rather than later. That would have kept the main antagonist's presence in a commanding position.
It's what happens when a group of men over the age of 50 get together in a conference room to talk about how to portray a child in 2022. I'm sure they still think Bart Simpson is a great reference. For me, seeing some of DC's oldest characters on the big screen looking fantastic, as well as a closer-than-expected portrayal of one of their most interesting characters, was a real treat.
Now for my critical analysis of the main character. The Rock is good at doing what he needs to do, and he's great at marketing himself. However, when this film tries to have fun, it is so stuck in angry stoic mode that it fails miserably. He doesn't even manage to crack a smile until the very end, when he gives Hawkman the most forced smile I've ever seen. And, while I understand that this character is "darker" and "angrier" than most heroes, that means Rock has left his famous charisma at the door.
-The Muse
Comments